From a program recorded on July 6, 1989, Charles Amirkhanian’s guest is the noted poet Michael McClure, who in addition to his own literary prowess, is also a connoisseur of a diverse range of musical expression, as will be understood by the time he finishes playing selections from his favorite commercial recordings. Who else would mix Beethoven and Monteverdi with Funkadelic, and the Talking Heads? Whether listening to Jorge Demus in Brahms’ “Four Serious Songs,” Thelonious Monk jamming with John Coltrane, or McClure himself reciting his own poetry over the piano playing of Ray Manzarek, this eclectic and erudite program is bound to excite anyone interested in the internal workings of a great poet’s mind. Equally at peace listening to string quartets by Haydn and Dvořák, the psychedelic tinged funk of Prince, or the timeless blues of Howlin’ Wolf, McClure traces the threads that connect music, poetry, and spirituality, while escorting us on a ride through the the best of the past five hundred years of popular music. Music, during which, in his words, “you can hear the composer thinking.”

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